The Úslava is a river in the Czech Republic, a right tributary of the Berounka River. It flows through the Plzeň Region. It is 96.3 km long.

Etymology

Until the early 18th century, the river was called Bradlava. The name first appeared in 1266 as Bradaua. In the following centuries, the name was also written as Radawa, Bradava, Brádava and Bradlavka. In 1712, Cistercian cartographer Mauritius Vogt confused the Bradlava with the Úhlava in his book, and also made a typographical error when he wrote it as Úslava. Since then, the name Úslava has been used.

Characteristic

The Úslava originates in the territory of Kolinec in the Blatná Uplands at an elevation of 637 m, on the slope of the Zálužnice mountain, and flows to Plzeň, where it enters the Berounka River at an elevation of 299 m. It is 96.3 km long. Its drainage basin has an area of 755.7 km2. The longest tributaries of the Úslava are:

Settlements

The river flows through the municipal territories of Kolinec, Číhaň, Zavlekov, Hnačov, Plánice, Újezd u Plánice, Mlýnské Struhadlo, Neurazy, Žinkovy, Prádlo, Klášter, Vrčeň, Srby, Ždírec, Blovice, Zdemyslice, Žákava, Nezvěstice, Šťáhlavy, Starý Plzenec and Plzeň.

Bodies of water

There are 78 bodies of water larger than 1 ha in the basin area. The largest of them are the fishponds Kovčínský with an area of 99 ha and Myslivský with an area of 63 ha. Many fishponds were founded directly the Úslava; the largest of them are Hnačovský, Žinkovský and Labuť.

Tourism

For most of the year, the Úslava is not suitable for river tourism due to lack of water.